Category Archives: current events

The Fast

Is it this, that I would choose, to undo the latches, throw open the doors, empty the warehouses, let in the light, let out the breath, let in the light, let out the breath of the people bated, bated too long, to fast from the bread … Continue reading

Posted in current events, holy days, poetry, prayer | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Nor the moon

By night, soothed by darkness those for whom visibility is treacherous stretch out their palms to God who clouds the stars. The waters of creation still bring life from beyond the hills, the hopeful distance Psalm 121

Posted in current events, poetry, prayer | Tagged | Leave a comment

Prayers have been shattered into pieces

Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties,
may be duly prepared for the service of thy sanctuary; 
we, reaching forth our hands in love. Continue reading

Posted in current events, poetry, prayer | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Lenses

I was busy. It wasn’t until late in the day that I finally sat down to prepare a prayer for our meeting. I found one, a good one, except for one word that rang untrue. Do we need to be … Continue reading

Posted in current events, prayer | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Intended

That was the vision in which Joseph placed his faith and his family: that God is with us, God’s promises endure forever. It didn’t make life easier, by any means. God knows it didn’t remove the obstacles of grief and the graft and grimness of the world or the wilderness, its empires, its wars, its little kings.

But what it did mean is that he, Joseph, spent the rest of his days in the close and intimate presence of the love of God among us, Jesus. Continue reading

Posted in current events, holy days, homily, lectionary reflection, sermon | Leave a comment

Advent I

It is not as simple as the poet makes it sound to transform the form of metal, a sword into farm equipment. Just hit it with a hammer, the prophecy implies, and all will fall, seeds into their furrows and … Continue reading

Posted in advent meditations, current events, holy days, lectionary reflection, preparing for Sunday with poetry, sermon preparation | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Prayer for a BANI world

BANI, a framework developed by Jamais Cascio, stands for Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, and Incomprehensible.
For people of faith, there is one reliable place to turn ​when human understanding no longer works. Hence this prayer for a BANI world. Continue reading

Posted in current events, prayer | Leave a comment

Jealousy vs joy

Jealousy is the thief of joy. It keeps the elder brother from the family reunion. It prevents the citizen from celebrating the rescue of the refugee, the wealthy from celebrating Jesus’ announcement of good news for the poor and the meek. It resents the love of God for its rival, and leads to the casting of golden calves to spite them all. It clouds the vision of the scribes so that they do not even recognize the Word of God when he is standing right in front of them, telling stories from heaven. Continue reading

Posted in current events, homily, lectionary reflection, sermon | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Truisms

Hatred shared is never hatred halved. The blood of an enemy will not cure anaemia of conscience. Suffer the little children never meant to  sacrifice them. The mortality of another will never lessen our own. The immortality of another will … Continue reading

Posted in current events, gun violence, poetry | Leave a comment

Labour

In which we breathe in solidarity with the breathless. In which we groan in harmonic relationship with the suffering. In which we dream in creative union with the author of life’s manifesto: decrying death, deploring despotism, denouncing the cynicism of … Continue reading

Posted in current events, gun violence, poetry, prayer | Tagged , | Leave a comment